Shanghai Pet Import and Export
This can be a very complicated area and often the first or last contact owners have with Shanghai. Here are a few hints and tips that hopefully will help ease the process for everyone.

Import
Shanghai has a 30 days quarantine period. 7 days in a government facility and 23 days at home. No one except a quarantine employee can enter. So no one from an external company can tell you they have checked your pet is ok there. They are just forwarding what they have been told.
Generally this is no major problem for most pets that go there. However, like all quarantine facilities, where animals are away from their normal environments and often stressed, things can go wrong.
In our experience the patients we see after quarantine tend to be in one or more of these groups.
1. Known to be nervous
2. Aggressive to strangers
3. Big and scary looking (even if they are sweet and soppy)
4. Pre-exisiting medical problem.
5. Geriatrics (over 8 years of age)
6. Poor drinkers
7. Picky eaters
Taking extra care and or avoiding quarantine can be most helpful for these individuals.
Avoiding quarantine is possible in a few ways. Please contact us for more information.
All pets should have rabies vaccination and a microchip (preferably ISO standard 11784 or 11785) before arrival. Up to date vaccination for other common diseases is a sensible precaution as the stress of travel and potential contact with lots of other individuals increases risk of disease, much more than the stability of home life.

Export
This is very dependant on the country to which you are sending your pet. It is best to corroborate information from 3 independent sources when dealing with this complex issue and China. For instance, we can be one, a pet moving company that you are not beholden to another and friends who have been through something similar themselves.
There are three points to consider when leaving China with a pet.
• Export out of China
• Transport
• Import into destination country
Export out of China
• All dogs and cats must have a rabies vaccination from a specially designated government clinic, either Shenpu at 565 xujiahui lu, or one of their subsidiaries or in the case of a dog one of the clinics that can do rabies vaccination for registration
• This needs to be done more than 30 days and less than one year before departure.
• A health check 7 days before hand must be done at a Shenpu clinic. Transport
• Contact a number of airlines to receive up to date information about their requirements. Not all airlines operate with the same protocols and rulings.
• It is often a good idea to contact the airline office in the country from which the airline primarily operates, as well as in China. Import
• To import a pet into the EU, including UK after January 1st 2012, please read the following document hyperlink to pdf of Pets to EU v2 doc.
• Please note that for entry into UK animals have to arrive as cargo, not in hand luggage orexcess baggage. At the time of writing the best options are to fly via KLM or Lufthansa to Europe and then transfer to cargo once there for the short flight to a recognised pet port of Entry in the UK. See this website for further information on UK pet entry - http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/
• Entry into USA and Canada is simple, as China and North American countries follow the same policies. So by following China export rules you have satisfied NA entry rules. However, doing above and beyond does no harm. Double check all vaccinations and see what is recommended as well as what is necessary.
• Island nations or states are often very tricky to enter with pets. Please double check them carefully.
• For Singapore please go to this website –http://www.ava.gov.sg/AnimalsPetSector/ImportExportTransOfAnimalRelatedPrd/PetsPersonal/
• For South Africa, the process is tricky and very time sensitive as there is a narrow window for us to get tests done and animals transferred. Please email for more advice.
• You cannot take an animal directly from China to Australia or New Zealand. Many people go either to Europe or US for 6 months first, now that Singapore is much more difficult to do. Pet travel can be very taxing to organise. Please feel free to email me at paw_grace@163.com to discuss you individual needs and concerns regarding the relocation of your pets.